Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.
Mark 9:38-50
38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. 42 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 44 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. , 46 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. 49 "For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
The gospel of the Lord? Holy smokes, Jesus. Did you hear what he just said? "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.44 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. ,46 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
This does not sound like the blue-eyed, blonde hair Jesus we read about in children’s Bibles. In fact, this seems to be a far departure from the soft-hearted, compassionate, and patient Jesus we love and prefer. Something triggers within Jesus this very direct and emphatic teaching. Being drowned as sea by the weight of a millstone, cutting off your hand or foot, removing your eye...these, Jesus says, are the alternatives, the better alternatives, mind you to deceiving someone in faith.
Jesus, hyperbolic as he may sound, emphasizes the personal risk in causing another to sin or stumble. Leading a neighbor astray. Jesus instructs those who follow him that the stakes are incredibly high. And to be certain, it’s not so much the stakes of your own life, the call to pick up the cross and follow that comes at a great cost.
No, it’s the call to teach, instruct, associate, and show others the way of faithful living that carries such stakes. For if one were to cause a stumbling block, then it is better to drown, cut off a limb, or remove your eye. You’d think that there’s nothing worse than losing a hand, foot, or eye, but Jesus clearly says there is.
The stakes are intense so that we may never lead anyone into sin. That we may never lead a neighbor astray. That we may never bear a false witness. That we may never hinder the fervor of the gospel. It’s hard to wrap my mind around Jesus saying that the consequences of causing another to stumble are far worse than self-maiming so that we never do it again.
And Such responsibility comes with incredibly high stakes. These are difficult and challenging words from Jesus. There is no fluffing the edges in order to avoid conviction. And honestly, these words should have us to shudder in a our seat at least a little bit. Can you imagine a world in which Jesus’ teaching was strictly followed?
If we led a neighbor or stranger to sin or worse, stood in the way of the gospel message, then we would cut, remove, maim or drown ourselves? The song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love,” but in taking this teaching to heart I suspect “they would come to know we are Christians by our missing limbs.”
Powerful and intimidating teaching by Jesus. And I suspect that very few of us wish to dive into these words with any form eagerness. They are hard to hear, and the easiest thing to do is brush them off and move on to the next passage, the next Sunday, the next sermon.
But if we dare, and we must, then we might be receptive to these convicting words and hear the necessity and relevance of Jesus’ teaching then and now. For none of us with to lose and arm, a leg, and eye...and I’m sure none of us wish for death by drowning under the weight of a millstone.
Today’s gospel lesson falls on the coattails of Jesus foretelling his impending rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus taught them about the fate of the son of man not once but twice so far and on both occasions they respond poorly.
Most recently we heard the disciples arguing among themselves who is the greatest. Rather than process, lament, or grieve the news of Jesus’ forthcoming death, the disciples are concerned about themselves. Who is the greatest. Who will lead. Sure, they don’t fully understand their call as disciples and apostles, but they knew it was them who were called. So who was the greatest.
Jesus gives them a stern lesson that whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. He then takes a child in his arms and says whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me. Now I remind you that a child in those days was the lowest in society. They had no rights or privileges. No protection of the law or advocate.
They were considered a drain on society and were a constant reminder of poverty, disease, and death. Until they could provide for themselves or contribute to society, they were considered the ultimate of the lost, least, and last.
For Jesus, the child was a representation to the disciples that their call as well as their desire to be the greatest was ultimately dependent upon their ability and willingness to care for the outcast. The oppressed. The poor. The lame. The ill. And the sinner. Only then, in the name of Jesus, when you humble yourself to the lowest among you can you be considered in the company of the greatest.
So the disciples return to Jesus this morning eager to point a finger at someone who is acting in Jesus’ name. Rather than approach the individual and affirm their ministry, the run to Jesus to say he’s not one of us and he’s acting in your name! He must be stopped.
But Jesus, who is still embracing that same child teaches them yet another lesson. This time a bit harsher than the last. Rather be concerned about the ministry of someone else, Jesus implores the disciples to pay attention instead to their own behavior. To look within and consider the ways in which they themselves might be hindering the ministry of the gospel to those around them.
Jesus launches into one of the most harsh teachings in all of the gospel. Four brutal statements to illustrate the severity of leading someone to sin. The danger of being a hindrance to faith. The detriment of tempting another into the ensnarement of sin. Jesus calls these actions, stumbling blocks. Stones that cause one to trip. In this case, trip them in their understanding and experience of faith. Of God’s deep abiding grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness.
Perhaps, just maybe, even against our own comfort, Jesus’ teaching speaks hard truths to the Christian faith still today. Is it possible that we, and I mean the Christian church as a whole, have created, maintained, inserted, or even elevated stumbling blocks for those outside of the faith?
Empowered barriers, borders, or speed bumps to impeded the good news of Christ from reaching that last, lost, and least. The lowest, oppressed, scorned, and damaged. Or even those within the Christian faith, have we failed to support, empower, understand, welcome, and love in the name of Christ? Excluding rather than including. Dismissing rather than inviting. Rejecting rather than supporting. Ignoring rather than embracing.
Please, hear me when I say that my intent is not to invoke Jesus’ teaching as a means of conviction upon St. Mark’s, Lutherans, or Christianity as whole. Rather, I think Jesus’ teaching demands that we pause, if even for a moment of deep self-reflection.
To reclaim the power of the gospel, remove the dead limbs and sinful impediments, and repave the way to everlasting life so that no one, and I mean no one may stumble when receiving the grace of God.
Research confirms, and I suspect we can all agree that there is a deep concern that mainline Christianity as whole is on the decline. That the need or desire for a life in a community of faith is waning.
Certainly there are a multitude of reasons and factors, but so often I hear stories of people who have felt burned by the Christian church, or they feel that the good news we preach isn’t always shown through our actions. These are the result of stumbling blocks.
I think this week, the Christian community was forced to grapple with one of these stumbling blocks. What is the response of the church in stories of assault. With rise and empowerment of movements like #metoo and #times up, more and more individuals are choosing to be vulnerable and tell their stories. What is the role of the church? And to be fair, the Bible itself is not immune to such stories. Ironically enough we’ll explore one of them today in Sunday school.
But as one of these stories played out on national television on Thursday, I wrestled with wondering what is the church’s response. Is there a beacon of hope clearly guiding the way to a God who loves unconditionally, a way clear of bumps and hindrances?
Ya know I think that faith and the love of Christ is an overwhelming relief to the burden one might carry, but when I also hear the relentless stories of priests abusing their own power over children...I fear that the church has lost its credibility and relevance. Why would anyone be so vulnerable trust me with their story? Is the stumbling block too severe to traverse?
Now this is one, weighty example, but it is absolutely current. And it is these sorts of honest and difficult impediments to faith that Christ calls us to confront and overcome. To repair. To repent. To reconcile.
And It seems to me that in today’s society and culture, Christianity can ill-afford any stumbling blocks. Rather than compartmentalize our faith and distance the good news of Christ from all notions of a sinful world, I think Jesus would have us engage a sinful and broken world. To jump right in, pull out the jack hammer, and shine a light on every crack and rock that might cause someone to misstep when seeking out faith.
And Yes, yes it is a lofty responsibility. The stakes, as Jesus points out are incredibly high. But brothers and sisters, the good news is that in breaking down the stumbling blocks and shining a light in the darkness, we have a proclamation far better than the world could ever dream of.
We are called to serve witness to the greatest story of all. God’s salvation and love poured out unconditionally upon all creation. A story of immense grace and forgiveness. A story washed by mercy.
And thus Christianity is the city on the hill, where a light shines in the darkness and the darkness of the world did not overcome it. A place where the oppressed are set free, the poor are raised up, and the abused are heard. Where the blind see and the deaf hear.
A refuge for all who have been scorned, dismayed, or rejected by a world that honors self-righteousness over humility, exclusion over invitation, rejection over acceptance. God’s story empowers us to welcome the stranger, care for the least among us, give shelter to the homeless, and clothe the naked.
And in today’s gospel lesson, Jesus advises the disciples and us to be speak with wisdom and truth, to act justly with grace and mercy, to be diligent and thoughtful, open and welcoming. For now as much as ever, the Christian faith has a call to be a relevant and faithful presence in the world. Remove the impediments of faith, and proclaim Christ crucified until all of creation is reconciled into the one body of Christ.
And when the stumbling blocks are removed, when the light shines in the darkness and all are bid come and follow, the story of God’s love in Jesus Christ has the power to bring about peace in a war-torn world. The power to build up unity in a divisive world.
To tear down walls, bridge the isle, and end division.
The power to breed compassion, soften hearts, and pour out love.
The power to end hunger and poverty, the power to lift up lowly and cast down the mighty. To establish not just equality but equity. The power to give voice to the oppressed and forgiveness to the oppressor.
My dearest sisters and brothers, the gospel message that we proclaim...the same message that created us. The very message the claimed us in the waters. The message the nourishes us and sustains us. The message that saves us is one of immense, unconditional love. And it’s a message given to the whole world. It’s a message too good not to share.
And today, with difficult and necessary words, Jesus reminds us that our call is not just to proclaim the gospel message, but to take every measure necessary to ensure that no one be precluded from hearing, tasting, or seeing for themselves.
Amen.
© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Sept. 30, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Jacksonville, FL
© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Sept. 30, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Jacksonville, FL
No comments:
Post a Comment